The best Android apps for Chromecast

We’re taking a good hard look at the selection of Verizon prepaid phones available, and are rounding them all up here for your reference.

Going month-to-month on Verizon has its perks, and there are a lot of good reasons to go with prepaid in general. Going month-to-month on Verizon has its perks, and there are a lot of good reasons to go with prepaid in general. The biggest drawback is that you need to fork over a fair bit of cash up front for a new device, since it isn’t subsidized over the course of a contract. There’s also a nice in-between with Verizon’s Edge program, whereby you pay off your device discount every month.
Whatever your reasons for rolling with prepaid, we’ll be updating this list regularly, so you can count on the data here being current.

Samsung Galaxy S5	Moto G (2013)
$599.99	$99.99
Android 4.4.2	Android 4.4.4
Great battery life Waterproof Built-in fingerprint scanner & heart rate monitor	Excellent bang for buck Great battery life Android Lollipop software available now
TouchWiz software may not appeal to some users Hardware design is a bit plastic and outdated Annoying cover over charging port can be hard to manage	No expandable storage No LTE Camera is still just okay

		HTC One (M8)	LG G2	Apple iPhone 5s	Nokia Lumia 928
		$599.99	$499.99	$549.99	$99.99
		Android 4.4.4	Android 4.4.2	iOS 8	Windows Phone 8.1
		Awesome battery life Great sound from speakers Excellent build quality	Excellent display Teeny tiny bezel Versatile camera	Excellent camera Great build quality TouchID fingerprint scanning	Great display Wireless charging Good low-light camera
		Sleek design is hard to hold Mediocre camera Lacks water resistance common to other flagship devices	Awkward button placement Hardware is still plastic No removable battery or memory	Relatively small screen Software features still behind Android in some areas Ho-hum battery life

T-Mobile's new Score! upgrade program could save you up to $140 on a new phone every year

T-Mobile's today rolling out yet another program for customers that aims to make upgrading even easier. It's called Score! (yes, with the exclamation point) and at $5-a-month for both postpaid and prepaid T-Mobile customers it offers a free upgrade to an entry-level smartphone after just six months, or a steep discount on a mid-range-to-premium phone after 12 months.

Okay, but what phones are we talking about here, and how much are you saving? Glad you asked.
After paying a total of $30 into Score over six months, your upgrade choices are just one phone: the Alcatel Onetouch Evolve 2, though it won't cost you anything to do the upgrade. You'll save $50 on that if you're a postpaid T-Mobile subscriber, or $80 if you opt for T-Mobile's prepaid plans.
But if you're willing to wait a year and pay $60 into Score, then your choices expand to some phones that are a bit more appealing. It won't cost you anything more to upgrade to an Alcatel Onetouch Fierce 2 or LG Optimus L90 (prepaid or postpaid), or the T-Mobile Concord II (prepaid only). Those options run at retail from $126 to $198, so you could save up to $140 right there.

If none of those mid-tier phones suit your fancy, you can save on some of the best phones T-Mobile has to offer, such as the Samsung Galaxy S5 ($40 off after deducting the $60 you've already paid into Score), or $90 off on either a Nexus 6 or Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
Opting for any of the upgrade options resets your eligibility calendar, naturally. As we mentioned earlier, this program is open to both prepaid and postpaid customers (though which payment scheme you're on will affect the phones available to you), and the discounts are available to both those who choose to pay for their phones up front or finance the cost over 24 months.
So is Score worth it? That depends on if you're somebody who either has or wants to upgrade their phone frequently. If you prefer a cheap Android handset that you can abuse and replace every six months, $30 per phone isn't that bad. Same if you really want an annual upgrade to the latest and greatest — unlike programs from the likes of AT&T and Verizon, T-Mobile's upgrade program might actually save you money if you strive to take advantage of it. It might not be a lot of money considering how much you'll be spending on new phones overall. And there's no saying which phones will be available through Score when your time comes and if the phone you want will be among those choices (that the Nexus 6, Galaxy S5, and Galaxy Note 4 are there is an encouraging sign, though we'd prefer T-Mobile offer all of their phones through this program).
Source: T-Mobile, T-Mobile Score Upgrades

T-Mobile has two more ads lined up for the Super Bowl

It looks like T-Mobile will be showing multiple new ads during Super Bowl XLIX. In addition to their ad starring Kim Kardashian, T-Mobile will also air a spot featuring comedians Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman. While the full ad hasn't yet been posted online, the carrier did post a behind-the-scenes video.

T-Mobile has yet another new ad that takes aim at the data practices of their rivals. Called "Data Vulture", the ad stars Rob Riggle and, well, a vulture and was produced specifically for NBC's online livestream of the Super Bowl.
The carrier has also announced an endorsement deal with Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. The deal includes three magenta buses with Sherman's face and T-Mobile branding on them, which will act as free shuttles to key locations before the start of the Super Bowl.
Source: T-Mobile

Cricket bumps $40 base plan from 1GB of data to 2.5GB, offers Moto G (2013) for $25

AT&T's prepaid carrier Cricket is increasing the data allotment for all of their plans without making any changes to the pricing. It's a bit of a shake-up, offering one of the best data packages among prepaid carriers. Additionally, they're offering the first-generation Moto G for just $24.99, and discounts on several other the best phones on Cricket.

Here's what's changed:

• Basic: $40/month, previously 1GB, now 2.5GB
• Smart: $50/month, previously 3GB, now 5GB
• Pro $60/month, still 10GB

Where things get a little more crazy is the "Advanced" tier, which offers 20GB of data each month, and for a "limited time only" can be had for the same $60/month as the Pro plan. That is, however, so long as you purchase an LTE-capable device to go with that plan.
All plans included unlimited voice and texts, and all but the $40 Basic plan also include unlimited international texting. You can check out Cricket's revised plans right here.
As for that $25 Moto G, that price comes after a mail-in rebate, which you'll get in the form of a prepaid Visa card. You'll have to pay $149.99 up front, of which you'll get $125 back on the card. Cricket is also offering a $70 rebate on the $149.99 HTC Desire 510 and $20 back on the $99.99 LG Optimus L70. We suggest just turning around and applying it to your balance at Cricket.
Source: Cricket

Major carriers partner to bring LTE to Chicago's subways

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has announced that the city has reached a deal with Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile to bring 4G LTE from all four carriers to the Chicago Transit Authority's subway system. The network, which will replace the decade-old system currently in Chicago's subways, will provide continuous coverage for 22 miles.

Mayor Emanuel expressed his hope that this upgrade will help make Chicago a more competitive city in the official announcement:

"By adding 4G wireless service all throughout the CTA, we are bringing 21st century technology to every rider on every line of our 21st century transit system," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "This is another way that we are investing in a modern CTA to encourage ridership, make Chicago more economically competitive, and open up more economic opportunities to more residents throughout the city."

The network upgrade began in early January, and is expected to be complete by the end of 2015.
Source: City of Chicago

Google's 3D-scanning Project Tango moving to new home inside the company

Project Tango is moving out of Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group and into a new home within the company. Project Tango uses a number of sensors for monitoring the world in 3D. The company promises a continued commitment to Project Tango development according to a post from Google ATAP on Google+:

While we have your attention, we'd also like to give a shout out to the developers who have been developing apps using the Project Tango Development Kit. We continue to be committed to moving the technology forward with your help and appreciate your feedback as the platform evolves. To keep up to date with news and updates please sign up to receive our newsletter at: http://goo.gl/KI6BP7.

This follows the recent announcement that Google Glass will be moving out of Google X under the supervision of Nest's Tony Fadell, though at this time nothing has been said as to exactly where Project Tango is headed.
Source: +Google ATAP, Project Tango newsletter

We're podcasting live at 4 p.m. EST!

Whether this has been the longest week ever of one of the quickest, the end result is the same — we've arrived at Friday. Final day o the work week (for most of us) and the home of the live recording of the Greatest Android Podcast in the World.

So coming up this afternoon: We'll discuss what it does (and especially what it doesn't mean) for Microsoft to have invested in Cyanogen, more folks have gotten Android 5.0 Lollipop on the HTC One M8, we've got new pictures of what the upcoming M9 might look like, we've got a Samsung Tizen phone in house, we wrap up our Nest series and get launch into antivirus stuff — and we'll answer more of your questions live, without a net.
So join us at this link at 4 p.m. EST — that's 9 p.m. in London — as we get this thing done!

Google Earth Pro features now available for free to everyone

Google has announced that they are making Google Earth Pro features free to all users. Google Earth Pro adds a number of features and on top of the standard Google Earth desktop setup that allow you to measure 3D buildings, record HD video of your virtual flights, and more. You'll now be able to record your virtual trip to your favorite city absolutely free.

To use Google Earth Pro for free, you can download the desktop app and grab a free key from Google. Enter your user name and license key when you open the app and you'll be good to go. Existing Pro users don't need to do anything, and their license keys will continue to work just fine.
Source: Google

Google Now gets integration with 40 third-party apps

If you were looking to pick a little more information in your Google Now cards, there's some good news today: Google has rolled out integration with third-party apps, enabling them to surface information within their own Now cards.

Google says it worked with a wide variety of developers to initially add support for 40 different apps. From its blog post:

In the morning, catch up on news of the day with cards from The Guardian. On your commute, Pandora can give you recommendations for music to play, based on what you like, or you can be reminded to complete your daily French lesson on Duolingo. During your downtime, you can take care of the groceries, with a card from Instacart reminding you to stock up on the things you often order. If you're planning a trip and looked up places to stay on your Airbnb app but couldn't make up your mind, you'll see Now cards from Airbnb for the location and dates you've researched. And when you land at an airport, you'll see a card to order a Lyft.

We haven't yet seen any cards from third-party apps on our devices, but Google notes that you should make sure you're on the latest version of its Google app to start seeing the new cards. Still, Now cards just got a whole lot more convenient. If you'd like to browse a list of currently supported apps, you can find that here. For more information on the integration itself, you can hit up that source link below.
Source: Google

Android 5.0.2 factory images posted for cellular Nexus 7s

If you're still rocking a 2013-era Nexus 7 with LTE, or a 2012 mobile version, we've got some great news today. Google has just dropped the Lollipop factory images for the both devices, and they're version 5.0.2 to boot.

This particular build is labeled as LRX22G, the the very same build deployed a couple of weeks ago for the Nexus 10 and Nexus 7 Wi-Fi versions. This marks the official jump from Android 4.4.4 KitKat to Lollipop for both devices.
You can grab the images from the links below if you decide you can't wait for the OTA to arrive. If you need a little assistance with doing so, also be sure to check out our guide on the subject here.